How To: Jump start a vehicle

At some point, almost everyone has walked out to their vehicle to leave and tried to start it and got nothing.

This is often a sign the battery is dead. This can happen if a light gets left on, headlights get left on, a door doesn’t get closed all the way, etc.

As long as the battery isn’t dead from old age, or damaged, you are in luck. All you have to do is jump start the vehicle and you can be on your way.

This can be dangerous though, as a battery does contain dangerous chemicals that will burn you if the battery is damaged.

First, you will need to find someone who is willing to help you out. Once you have found someone, have them pull their vehicle with the front end of both vehicles close together so that the jumper cables will reach both batteries.

Next, open the hood on each vehicle and locate the batteries in each. Now make sure both vehicles are turned off, and all electronics are turned off, such as the radio and headlights. Also, make sure both vehicles are in park, or neutral (if a manual transmission) and both emergency brakes are set.

Second, make sure the jumper cables are in good shape, the wires are not cracked and the clamps are clean and in good shape. After inspection, be sure the jumper cables are not tangled up nor are touching eachother on either end.

Third, use the red clamp on the jumper cables and connect it to the positive (red) post on the dead vehicle’s battery. Next, clamp the other end of the red jumper cable to the positive battery post on the booster vehicle. Be sure the clamp bites onto the battery post well and isn’t going to fall off.  The positive side of the battery is usually labeled with a “+” sign.

Forth, connect the negative (black) clamp on the jumper cables to the negative (black) post on the battery of the dead vehicle, making sure to get a good bite with the clamp. After, do the same on the booster vehicle. The negative post on a battery is usually black and labeled with a “-“ sign.

Once the jumper cables have been connected to both vehicles, start the booster vehicle. After the booster vehicle is running, proceed to start the dead vehicle. If the battery does not start right away let it sit for a few minutes, as it can take a few minutes after starting the booster cable, to get enough power flowing to the dead battery.

Fifth, once the dead vehicle has been started, let them both idle for a few minutes to be sure enough power has transferred to the dead vehicles battery to stay running. If the dead vehicle does not start after being connected to the booster vehicle for more than a few minutes, it is likely there is another issue preventing it from starting.

After both vehicles have been running for a few minutes, remove the jumper cables, making sure to not let any of the clamps touch each other until it has been removed from both batteries. Be sure to get the car to a safe parking spot before turning it off, as it is still possible that the battery could need to be replaced depending on its condition.

You may also still need to have the battery charged by a mechanic or service station if you encounter this issue again in the near future.